Dust Mite – Mattress Cleaning Tips

Remember when your grandparents used to say “don’t let the bed bugs bite”. If they said it to you when you were a little kid, you were most likely quite scared, only to later understand they were talking nonsense after mom said you’d be okay. Think again.

Because we never see dust mites, we forget they exist. What’s even more concerning is that they thrive in soft, warm and spongy areas that we often have covered. This is why they love mattresses and this is why we are neglectful when it comes to mattress cleaning – we take for granted that the non-visible parts of our mattress are clean. Since we lie on a mattress every night and typically move around a lot in our sleep, skin flakes come off and fall through the bedclothes and onto the mattress.

If you have kids that wet the bed a lot, it’s crucial that dust mites are removed. Alongside its capacity to attract dust mites, moisture also lays the foundation for fungal spores to grow, meaning your bed becomes an excellent breeding ground for both.

So how do we treat and sanitize our home? It’s quite easy, actually. While upholstery cleaning methods vary, your mattress can be transformed through one quick and organic way guaranteed to remove all those dust mites and bacteria.

Mattress Cleaning Tips

How do we clean an already infected mattress and prevent further contamination? Pour a cup of baking soda into a jar, or sealable plastic container. Add 4 drops of lavender oil on top of the baking soda before putting the lid on. Shake well.

Grab a kitchen strainer and spread the baking soda and lavender oil mix onto the unclothed mattress while holding the strainer out in front of you. Apply all over the mattress before smoothing around the baking soda to cover all areas, blotting it with your fingers after panning it around with your palm.

Allow your solution to sit for 20 minutes before returning with a vacuum cleaner. Before you proceed, make absolute sure that the vacuum cleaner’s cylindrical ‘hose end’ is free of debris. The last thing you want to do is attract further mites by pressing a debris-filled vacuum cleaner hose end onto your mattress. This is precisely why we aren’t bothering with the vacuum cleaner head at all since it’s lined with dust and debris, and few really bother to clean it. The cylindrical hose end is also much more effective in its sucking action so dust mites will get swallowed up instantly.

Vacuum the mattress, sucking up all the baking soda residue. Vacuum all over the mattress to ensure everything gets sucked up.

And finally, don’t keep slippers next to your bed. While most of us do this out of convenience, it’s a big no no since it allows mites to transfer easily from your dust-magnet footwear and onto your mattress, even if its covered.

Expert in emergency fire and water restoration services, fire cleanup and water damage cleanup, mold removal, as well as carpet and upholstery cleaning services. Contributor to several restoration and cleaning blogs.